CAMP- Go Light Go Fast

	Since 1889   camp-usa.com camp-usa.com/cassin Golightgofast.com Blog   If you are having trouble viewing this email, CLICK HERE. If you periodically find our emails caught by your spam filter, add the camp-usa.com domain to your list of safe senders.   CURRENT ALPINE ROCK CONDITIONS UPDATE By Blake Herrington Are you ready for Alpine Rock season? July is nearly gone and the days are already getting shorter. But with the sun still high in the sky and very low snowpacks from a dismal winter in many prime mountain areas, the time is perfect for long alpine rock climbs. Many of the nation's premier alpine venues are perfect right now, but here's a region-specific roundup to help you plan your trip... READ MORE   LIGHTWEIGHT. PHANTOM PACK. The Phantom is a fully featured pack designed for alpine blitzes in all types of terrain and conditions. It is a universal favorite for our athletes who range in disciplines from alpine rock climbing where it excels as a lightweight on-route pack to light & fast peak baggers where it registers as about the lightest rig possible for carrying a light axe, crampons, layers and sustenance for a romp at altitude. The basic design is simple: 15 liters to carry that perfect amount of just enough, but not too much... READ MORE   MONTHLY GEAR GIVE AWAY In honor of Justin Lichter (aka Trauma), we are giving away a Phantom pack – a product that truly embodies the light & fast minimalist ethic being driven by the world's most prolific through-hiker – and a copy of his new book, 'Trail Tested: A Thru-Hiker's Insights Into Hiking & Backpacking,' that was released in May of 2012 and contains more applicable tips and tricks than any book we have ever read on the subject. For a complete review, see our post from May 14 HERE. Congratulations to last month's winner, Doug, who won a Laser CR harness from Cassin; our newest laminate construction big mountain harness. As a CAMP USA E-News subscriber, you are automatically entered in the monthly gear drawing. Tell your friends and good luck!     DISCLAIMER For any questions always refer to the C.A.M.P. USA website http://www.camp-usa.com/, C.A.M.P. Italy’s website http://www.camp.it/. For reference to any manufacturing or fall standards refer to the UIAA website http://www.theuiaa.org/. Warning: Climbing is dangerous. It is the sole responsibility of the purchaser or user of any C.A.M.P. technical adventure equipment to get proper instruction and to act safely and in accordance with the uses and specifications outlined by C.A.M.P. in its product literature. It is your responsibility to learn how to use the product safely. Product instruction manuals are available for download on all relevant product pages. If you have any questions about the specific function of a piece of climbing equipment, contact C.A.M.P. USA before use.

Eastern Sierra Evolution Loop Go Light, Go Fast

THE EVOLUTION LOOP

Two hours on day two brought the only stint of bad weather. Driving sleet blinded us from the East as we scrambled over high granite slabs, rounding pristine lakes and crossing primitive streams to the top of Muir Pass. I am wearing my only layers and they are covered in a coat of sticky white crud. Justin and Blake are setting the pace, their sights set on the hut situated on the summit of Muir Pass. We hit the hut in three waves and take the place over. It is cold, but not unbearably so. Jed starts wrapping himself in the mega-mid he is carrying as the sole shelter for three of the hikers. Chris gets up to help him and Blake is shouting suggestions from a bench on the side. They are functioning as a team with a mission now, trying to create a streamlined hiking tarp from a piece of gear many alpine climbers already own. Multi-purposing is one of the keys to going light and fast. But this one is a failure. He looks like a raddish on steroids dressed in a body diaper. Humor is another key to success with minimalist adventures.

The Evolution Loop tracks from North Lake to South Lake through the Evolution basin up and over three 12,000 foot passes (Piute, Muir, Bishop). It is 55 miles and surprisingly run-able. We had the chance to take an experimental test run of the route with Sierra Mountain Guides a few weeks ago. Along the way, we are testing lightweight gear, learning about hyperlight strategies and tactics from frontrunners in this area of study like Justin (Trauma) Lichter and Howie Schwartz, and we are blessed with a stunning overview of the high Sierra. I am ashamed to say that before this, I had never seen the Sierras more than the highway drive from Reno to wine country. So much climbing, so little time. I am delighted to report that the range blew my mind as expected. The entire range from the Palisades to the peaks over Piute rises from the most solid layer of granite bedrock I have ever seen. This makes the terrain feel flat and continuous, even at elevations of 12,000 plus where 14ers loom overhead. It is strikingly different from the mini-ranges that form the Rockies where the elevation tends to drop sharply between each cirque.

There are also fewer roads. We are on a loop that is part of the longest continual stretch of roadless country in the nation. As such, we are self-supported for most of the trip. This is fine. Our packs average around 15 pounds for days two and three. We are breezing past hikers with huge loads covering the same ground in six days. But even this is not the best way to run this route. This is an exploratory outing and we are minimizing some costs and taking time to put some new gear to the test. We have the luxury of experiencing the mule-supported camp on the first night, then we are on our own. The trip from Sierra Mountain Guides will feature mule-supported camps (with chefs) on both nights. So sick!

For us, day one was 25 miles of mountain running. We wore shorts and our gear is minimalist with only a water bottle, snacks and lightweight wind gear. The next two days we covered the remaining 30 miles bagging high peaks along the way and stopping frequently for mini product review sessions with the seasoned team. Water was straight from the source with no treatment the entire way and the wilderness left its mark on us with bronzed skin, clean air, and a genuine feeling of detachment from the rest of the world. Content and happy, we wonder if it should ever end. But like any trip, this one has a beginning and an end. We are happy they are both (along with everything in between) beautiful, and rugged, and entrancing … the way our wilderness was meant to be.
Sierra Mountain Guides
Special thanks to the photographers:
1. Blake Herrington
2. Matt Irons
3. Matt Irons
4. Dave McCoy
5. Dave McCoy
6. Howie Schwartz
7. Blake Herrington

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Packing for a Multi-day Ridge Traverse

So, something about a multi-day ridge traverse has captured your attention. Maybe it's a 2-day itinerary on Lone Pine Peak, the 4 day version of the Palisade Traverse, or something bigger and further out there. In any case, you want to cover some ground and be ready for technical climbing. You will spend cool nights at altitude, burn lots of calories, and carry all of your gear the entire time. A trip like the Palisade Traverse requires the ultimate expression of "fast and light" packing strategies. The first, easiest, and cheapest way to lighten one's load is to leave stuff behind. Then one must choose gear that is multi-purpose. Then one should consider some of the more specialized gear. Here is an annotated list of personal gear one should have for a trip like this. For now, lets ignore group gear considerations (rope, rack, cooking kit, first aid and repair) and focus on individual gear and clothing.

• Pack: Choose a small, simple pack, and leave behind what won't fit in it. Now, a 25-35 liter pack will be stuffed tight as a drum, but that makes for a rigid package that stiffens the whole outfit. That means you can (and should) choose a frameless version, one that can contain a tri-folded piece of closed-cell foam as "framesheet" and sleeping pad. Bam, many pounds saved right there! Models we like: ArcTeryx Cierzo 25 or 35. Cold Cold World Ozone or Valdez.
• Sleeping Pad: see above. If you absolutely must have something inflatable and complicated, choose one of the lightest, smallest pads you can. Like the Thermarest NeoAir. Size small.
• Sleeping Bag: Down-filled, rated to 30 or 40 F. About a trillion options here. Pack it in a plastic-bag-lined compression sack. Squish that guy to the density of a rock.
• Shelter: Bivy Sack or tarp. Less than a pound, no poles or silliness like that. With Sierra Ridges we simply don't camp high in poor weather. Poor weather brings electricity, and no bivy sack is lightning-safe. Keep it super minimalist. What we like: Brooks Range ultralight tarps. Solo size, or share a bigger one with your partner. Or the Outdoor Research Aurora Bivy.
• Helmet: your choice, but realize that the lightest options are half the weight of the heaviest.
• Harness: Lightweight, minimalist. The Camp Alp 95, at just over 3 ounces, is the extreme expression of this. But the Black Diamond Couloir and the Camp Air harnesses both come in around 8 ounces and are far more durable and versatile. Your choice.
• Carabiners: Each person should have a pair of lockers. Tiny lockers are light, but less versatile. Your huge lockers from that Denali expedition in '94 weight probably twice what they need to, and who knows what has happened to them since Kurt Cobain died. Grab a pair of modern, small, pear-shaped 'biners. Like the Black Diamond Mini Pearabiner.
• Belay device: Learn to belay and rappel without a device. Or throw in a small, simple multi-purpose device. Like the BD ATC Guide.
• Chalk, rock shoes, tape gloves, etc.: you'll be surprised how climbing alpine rock without these things isn't all that bad. Leave 'em at home.
• Early season Footwear: Early season you'll want mountain boots. Lightweight, low-profile, uninsulated, dedicated mountaineering boots. The go-to is La Sportiva's Trango Evo S GTX, but other companies make excellent entries in this category.
• No snow? What to use on your feet? If conditions require no steep snow or ice, don't hesitate to go to approach shoes. Get 'em in high-top configuration to keep the scree out and fit 'em with a compromise between walking comfort and climbing performance. We like Evolv Maximus shoes for High Sierra scrambling, off-trail travel, and technical ridge-climbing.
• Gaiters: Nah. Just rig some elastic to your pant cuffs to keep them down snug over your shoes.
• Socks: Wear-a-day, Air-a-day. 2 pairs max.
• Pants: Mid-weight, softshell dedicated climbing pants. OR Cirque pants are great, as are any number of comparable offerings. Maybe add long underwear if the forecast is unseasonably cold.
• Upper body: Here, the options are limitless. Start with a synthetic t-shirt. Then add 3-4 more layers, the more hoods the better. One of which should be an ultralight, truly waterproof shell. OR's Helium Jacket is one choice. Another of your 3 or 4 layers should be a light-weight puffy jacket. Less than one pound, again, ideally with a hood. Then a lightweight fleece and/or a long-sleeve base layer and/or an ultralight soft-shell. Hoods all around, sound like a broken record?
• Hat: No need if you have all those hoods! Maybe a sun-hat for the approach.
• Gloves: One pair, ultralight. Consider work-style gloves for durability and dexterity. Jed really likes "Ironclad Cold Conditions Gloves."